First issued in 1660, the only difference being the date of the imprint on the title-page.

Recent research by Robert H. Van Gent has revealed that 

, a pastor in Neuhausen from 1596 to 1599, who later moved to Heidelberg. The young Andreas was educated at the Sapierzkolleg in Heidelberg, and enrolled as a student at the University of Heidelberg in 1614. From 1625, the same year in which he married Catharina Eltmans, he was a schoolmaster in Amsterdam and then in the Hague. In 1637, he became headmaster of the Latin School in Hoorn. Once there, he settled down to writing. 

His earliest known work, in 1645, was on military architecture. Written in German, it was published in Amsterdam by 

, who would later include Cellarius’ ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’, as the last volume of his ‘

 Maior’, in 1660. However, before then, in 1659 Cellarius’ description of Poland was published, suggesting that he may have travelled extensively through that country.

Cellarius had three sons, Andreas (1626), Johannes (1631), and Joris (1635), and a daughter, Catharina (1628). He died in February or March of 1665, in the same year as his eldest son.

The last eight plates represent celestial hemispheres and planispheres depicting the constellations: they are the most ornate of all, and their level of artistic detail has made these plates very celebrated. Of the various engravers and authors who worked on the plates of the atlas, only two have signed their work: Frederik Hendrik van den Hove, author of the frontispiece, and Johannes van Loon, who engraved ten plates. Moreover, all the designs of the classical constellations were taken from the ones created by Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam.

 (c. 1596–1665) was a Dutch-German cartographer and cosmographer best known for his 1660 ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’, a major star atlas. The young Cellarius attended the University of Heidelberg in 1614 and later worked as a schoolmaster in Amsterdam and then in the Hague, eventually settling in Hoorn in 1637 to become headmaster of the Latin School. 

His earliest known work, in 1645, was on military architecture. Written in German, it was published in Amsterdam by 

. In 1659, Cellarius published his first cartographic work, a description of Poland, whose detail suggests that he may have travelled extensively through that country. The following year in 1660, Janssonius published Cellarius’ ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ and was so impressed with the work that he included it as the last volume of his own ‘

 Maior’, published the same year. 

The ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ was the only celestial atlas published during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography, and probably the finest celestial atlas ever realized. Its twenty-one sumptuous Baroque-style charts majestically represent the three competing astronomical models of the day: the Ptolemaic, Tychonic, and the Copernican.

’ ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ (1660), was the only celestial atlas published during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography, and probably the finest celestial atlas ever realized. This is one of twenty-one sumptuous Baroque-style charts that majestically represent the three competing astronomical models of the day: the Ptolemaic, Tychonic, and the Copernican. 

The last eight plates represent celestial hemispheres and planispheres depicting the constellations. They are the most ornate and celebrated for their level of artistic detail. Of the various engravers and authors who worked on the atlas, only two signed their work: Frederik Hendrik van den Hove, author of the frontispiece, and Johannes van Loon, who engraved ten plates. All the designs of the classical constellations were taken from those created by Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam.

First hemisphere with the Christianized firmament

Frontispiece

The planisphere of Ptolemy 

Ptolemaic model of the universe

Planetary orbits of Ptolemy and Tycho Brahe 

Planetary orbits of Nicolaus Copernicus 

Scenography of the Copernicus system

Planisphere of the Tychonic system

Sconography of the Tychonic system

Planisphere of Aratus

Brahe's method for measuring the distances between the planets

Sizes of the celestial bodies

Earth circled by celestial bodies

Hemisphere map showing the clestial and terrestrial motions

Hemisphere map of the old world with 3 climatic zones

Ptolemy's  eccentric and epicyclical orbits

The major astrological aspects

Eccentric orbit of the sun

Spiral revolution of the sun and earth

Eccentric and epicylce movement of the moon

The moon's phases

The movments of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn

The movments of Venus and Mercury 

Second hemisphere with the Christianized firmament

The northern stellar hemisphere of antiquity

Scenography of the celestial and terrestrial northern hemispheres

The northern stellar hemisphere, with the terrestrial hemisphere underneath

The southern stellar hemisphere of antiquity

The southern stellar hemisphere with celestial and terrestrial spheres

The only celestial atlas published during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography, and probably the finest celestial atlas ever realized.

Full publisher’s Dutch polished vellum, gilt-panelled with large central arabesque, smooth spine in seven compartments, yapp fore-edges, all edges gilt.

Folio. Allegorical frontispiece by Frederik Hendrik van den Hove, and 29 double-page astronomical maps, all with exceptionally fine hand-colour in full.